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1 Saint Katherine Glen Carlyn Road Falls Church, VA DOXA The monthly newsletter of Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church Volume 10, Number 12 DECEMBER 2012 CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM! CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM! There are so many wonderful emotions that fill this Christmas season. I emphasize season because we are so programmed now to think that Christmas is no longer the birth of Jesus Christ. Our children prepare a list of gifts that they want. We are timid, even afraid, to say, Merry Christmas to anyone we do not know so as to not offend them. When did Christmas, an historical event, become offensive? There is no where in scripture where the birth of Jesus Christ provokes those who believe to have a violent or immoral reaction to the non-believers. Let us look at the account of His birth in the Holy Bible, Luke 2:1-14. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Did the Gospel provoke you to go out and commit acts against humanity? INSIDE THIS ISSUE... Bookstore Book Review... 7 Calendar... 9 Catechetical School... 4 Church Duty Roster Christmas Card... 3 Daughters of Penelope Directory... 8 GOYA (ages 13-18)... 4 GRACE... 7 Greek Article/School... 5 HOPE... 4 Journey to Orthodoxy JOY... 4 Missions and Outreach Parish Council... 3 Philoptochos Registry... 8 Safeway e-scrip Silent Prayer... 6 Stewardship Women s Book Club AND MORE! I want share a story from upstate New York. A person walking through the city park was inundated by the sights and sounds of the Christmas season. All the sudden (oh, my gosh!) she was insulted by the sight of the Nativity that was on display. She found it offensive that she, in a city park, would see a Nativity display because all the other displays were dealing with the Christmas season. Her intelligence was not challenged by the fact that Frosty the Snowman might not be a real person. I don t even think she was troubled by jolly old Saint Nicholas (we know he is a real saint). I still do not understand this Christmas season celebration. It did not exist when I was growing up. I think she was having a Herodian moment, she did not want Jesus Christ to exist. (Continued on page 13, column 2)

3 PARISH COUNCIL A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AT YEAR S END AS WE END ONE YEAR and look to the beginning of the next, I wish to thank to those departing Council members who have faithfully served us and welcome those newly elected. Our Parish Council can take a measure of justifiable pride in its accomplishments on behalf of our community and look to the tasks that lie ahead with renewed resolve and optimism. In my first letter to you, I said "our community is blessed and has been from its founding." After a year that has seemingly passed in the blink of an eye, that statement remains true to this day and I offer the following prayer of reflection and gratitude to our Lord and Savior in loving testament: Almighty and Merciful Father, We humbly thank you for all the many blessings you continue to bestow upon our community of Saint Katherine. Please make us ever mindful and ever worthy of these and all your many gifts as we constantly strive for ways to enhance our community. Thank you for the rich liturgical life our Proistamenos, choir and chanters provide. Thank you for the abundance and strength of our ministries. We are grateful for the vibrancy of our educational programs our Catechetical Schools, our Greek School and our Paideia Bilingual Preschool. Bless our students with a passion for learning and their teachers with continued zeal and excellence. We also give thanks for our GOYA and other youth ministries that provide cultural and other important outlets for our youth. Thank you for our Missions and Outreach programs that reach across the globe to make disciples of all nations, for a devoted Philoptochos, for committed service organizations like AHEPA and the Daughters of Penelope, and for all the other ministries providing opportunities for our parishioners to further participate in the life and activities of our Holy Church. In particular, Holy Father, we give special thanks for all those who so lovingly and selflessly devote themselves and give of their time and talents to sustain these and other ministries to thy greater glory. Thank you for their passion, their caring nature and their incredible generosity. We implore you Heavenly Father to grant us the wisdom and the resolve to continue on the path we have undertaken to revitalize our stewardship programs so that we may better support the activities and ministries of your Holy Church and, by doing so, further nurture a parish culture overflowing with joy, peace, and loving care for one another. We humbly thank you Holy Father for the opportunity to serve you and ask your continued blessings for all those who answer thy calling. We beseech you to instill a renewed sense of purpose and resolve in our Parish Council as we endeavor on behalf of our beloved community in the coming year. Strengthen us in mind, body,and soul to thy service and help us to prove ourselves worthy in thy sight as we joyfully toil in your vineyards. Amen. On behalf of our Parish Council, I thank all of you for your support and words of encouragement and wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year! Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχές το Νέo Έτος! Your servant in Christ, Jim Stoucker, President, Parish Council 2012 COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CARD You are invited to participate in the annual Christmas card of our parish. It will be mailed by the church office to everyone on our mailing list for only $25. Please send your name, as you wish it to appear in the card, and a check payable to Saint Katherine Church, to the Church Office no later than Monday, December 3. Thank you. 3

4 CATECHETICAL (SUNDAY) SCHOOL NOW AFTER JESUS WAS BORN in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasure, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-2; 2:11). For our youth and our families, the most significant aspect of the month of December is Christmas, and like the three wise men, our focus is on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On December 9th the students of the Catechetical (Sunday) School, the Greek School, and the Padeia Preschool will present our annual Christmas Pageant. The Pageant will give our young people the opportunity and privilege to present to our community the scriptural narrative of the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The actors will pantomime as narrators recite Biblical passages in both Greek and English. Some of our other students from both schools will be angels and some will be singers. The singers, together with members of our Adult Choir, will sing the accompanying music. A number of our senior high school students will serve as guides and ushers. A cast request list and rehearsal schedule has been distributed to all students to take home. Parents are urged to review the schedule and make sure that the children meet their rehearsal assignments. On December 8, beginning at 10:00am, we will have a dress rehearsal and following that enjoy a party and a visit from Saint Nicholas. The Pageant will be presented on Sunday, December 9, immediately after the Divine Liturgy in the community center. Our students are very excited about this presentation, and we are certain that our parents will be eager to see and hear them as they relay to us the true meaning of Christmas. In the last issue of DOXA we related to you that during both November and December our young people and staff focus on the scriptural lesson that It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) Through the kindness and devotion of Mrs. Sherry Maggio, a Giving Tree has been decorated and placed in the downstairs foyer of the community center. From the tree, each student has been given the opportunity to take one of the tags. The tag suggests the purchase of a gift for an adult male or female. It is requested that the gift consist of new warm clothing such as a sweater, gloves, scarf, hat, socks, etc. It is requested that the giver wrap this gift and place the tag from the giving tree amidst the ribbon used to make the bow. Our young people will bring in their presents for the homeless and place them under the Giving Tree on either Sunday, December 1, 8, or 15. On the 15th, the gifts will be taken to the homeless shelter in Falls Church. We know that when our students return to school on January 6 they will be excited talking about Christmas and New Years. We look forward to that reunion. HOPE and JOY Please join HOPE and JOY on Sunday, December 2, 10:30am or 12:30pm, for Christmas activities and snacks on the lower level of the Meletis Charuhas Center. We will provide fun crafts, reading of the Christmas Nativity story, bagels, fruit, and drinks for all our children. Please RSVP to Toula Christou by Friday, November 30. For further information, please contact Toula or Penny Pappas GOYA (ages 13-18) GOYA WILL HELP PACK hygiene and survival kits following the Christmas Pageant on Sunday, December 9. GOYA is proud to donate 1,000 shampoo/conditioner packets. GOYA has church duty on Sunday, December 16 during the second liturgy. Alexandra Veletsis will be the GOYA Captain and Epistle reader. Funds from the second tray will be used to purchase McDonald s gift cards for the homeless in DC. Thank you, in advance, to all our generous parishioners. GOYA has a general meeting following liturgy on Sunday, December 16. Following liturgy on Sunday, December 23, GOYA will pack bags for their annual Feeding the Homeless in DC on Christmas Day. They pack a hefty lunch for the day and include a McDonald s gift card for a future food/drink, and gloves, hats, and socks. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bota of Metro 29 Diner donated all the lunchmeats and rolls, Mr. and Mrs. Don Wills donated chips and Christmas cards, Mr. Brian Kelleher, General Manager of the McLean Hilton, donated individually wrapped cookies, and Mr. George M. Logothetis of Libra Group in New York City, donated $2,500 for the purchase of the gloves, hats, and socks. Thank you to everyone! LOOKING FOR A TUTOR? Najy Issa, Altar Boy Captain and GOYAn, is offering free tutoring for students, elementary through high school, in the following subjects: Sciences Math History Contact Najy at or 4

6 JUNIOR CHOIR (ages 6-14) DEAR PARENTS OF CHILDREN AGES 6-14, I am in the process of starting up an official Junior Choir at Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church. The idea of having a Junior Choir is to teach children about Church music and prepare them for possibly joining the Adult Choir after they reach 14 years of age. I have had the honor of teaching the 1 st thru 6 th grade Catechetical (Sunday) School students some of the church hymns, been very impressed on how these children can sing out, and can see that they really love singing the hymns of our Church. I plan on teaching our Junior Choir hymns sung during the Divine Liturgy, either with the adult choir mixed with the children's singing parts or hymns that are specifically written for the youth of our church. Hymns will be sung in Greek and English (most of the Greek hymns have phonetic spelling that the children should not have a problem following). Please keep in mind that singing in the Junior Choir, Adult Choir, or with the Chanters is considered a form of Stewardship. As you may or may not know, Saint Katherine will be hosting the EFGOCM (Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Musicians) Annual Conference the weekend of October 17-20, These conferences always have a separate set of practices for the youth choirs of the Metropolis of New Jersey and the EFGOCM. I have attended many of the conferences in the past and noticed that the children really enjoy their time being a part of the conference and many have gone on to be an integral part of their adult choir. My goal is to have a Junior Choir in place by the beginning of 2013 so that we can begin to practice the music the youth will be singing at the conference at Saint Katherine, as well as future conferences. This goal can only be achieved by a commitment from not only the youth involved, but from YOU, the parents. You need to bring your children to designated practices, sing occasionally on Sundays with the Adult Choir, and encourage your children to grow spiritually through the beautiful hymns of our Church. I hope that you will consider enrolling your children in the Youth Choir and look forward to speaking with each of you in the near future. Sincerely, John P. Doulis, Choir Director Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church SILENT PRAYER GROUP Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10) FR. THOMAS HOPKO DESCRIBES SILENT PRAYER in The Orthodox Faith, Volume IV Spirituality : There is also the type of meditation and contemplation done totally in silence, without any words or images or thoughtful activity at all, not even psalmody. The person merely sits in silence,... emptying the mind of all thoughts, imaginations and desires, listens to God in silence, the divine language of the Kingdom of heaven (St. Isaac of Syria). This type of mediation, for a person of unceasing prayer will be the prayer of silence, with the bubbling spring of the Jesus Prayer as its only foundation and background. In such contemplative prayer and prayerful contemplation, the spirit of man becomes one with the Spirit of God. (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:17). Saint Katherine has started a Silent Prayer Group, which meets before the Women s Bible Study, on various Wednesdays. Everyone is invited to join this group, gather in neighborhoods, or pray individually at home or at work. The goal of our silent prayer group is to reach that stillness by first starting with The Jesus Prayer ( Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner ) whose aim, according to Metropolitan Kallistos Ware at a lecture in Bethesda, Maryland, in June 2012, is to create silence and provide a way of entering silence in the heart. During the prayer, noise from the outside will inevitably intrude, along with random thoughts. These distractions are God-given opportunities to learn how to detach ourselves from such things and let them float by like clouds. One of our goals in contemplative prayer is to calm the passions our worries, our plans, our desires, our aches that keep us from feeling God s peace. If thoughts engage you and do not float by, say The Jesus Prayer silently to yourself to return to stillness. It is beyond our power to prevent obsessive thought from troubling and disturbing the soul. But it is within our power to forbid such imagines to linger within and to forbid such obsessions to control us (Theodoros the Ascetic). Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. ~Psalm 47:7 God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer. ~Mother Teresa How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak. ~Francois FeNelon 6

7 BOOK REVIEW Gregory McKinney Inner River: A Pilgrimage to the Heart of Christian Spirituality. Kyriacos C. Markides. Colorado Springs, CO: Image Books pages. $ Kyriacos C. Markides is a professor of sociology at the University of Maine who rediscovered the Orthodox faith of his birth after investigating New Age practices and thinkers earlier in his career. Inner River is the fourth chronicle of his journey home, the other books being Riding the Lion (1995), The Mountain of Silence (2002), and Gifts of the Desert (2005). In the latter three, he explores Orthodoxy through his ongoing association with a charismatic monk he meets on Mt. Athos, a Father Maximos, now known to be Athanasios, current Metropolitan of Lemesos (Cyprus). Formal talks from Fr. Maximos and private conversations between the two, combined with elements from Markides travels with friends to Mt. Athos and Cyprus, constituted the entire content of The Mountain of Silence and Gifts of the Desert. Similarly, Fr. Maximos discourse on the fruits of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control), along with Markides pilgrimage to St. Catherine s monastery in the Sinai, make up a majority of Inner River. Fr. Maximos teachings on the Church as hospital for the sick soul and as incubator of theosis remain as profound as ever: A real atheist is a person who has no real relationship with the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is not active in his or her heart. Such a person my appear externally as deeply pious, going to church every Sunday, doing all the things that one is expected to do as a Christian, but his or her heart is completely shut off from the energies of the Holy Spirit. God is absent from his or her life.the saints are fearless because they have a direct connection with God s Spirit. Consequently, they can endure everything with peace in their hearts and without a trace of anxiety (pp. 97-8). Maximos discourse on developing discernment near the book s end is one of his best. He says, Actually all the virtues are dangerous in the absence of discernment. Discernment is the steering wheel that guides all the virtues without exception (p. 270). However, in Inner River, Markides expresses far more of his own opinions than in the other two works. He allows himself to reflect on what he has discerned over the course of his career from the mixed bag of academics, healers, seers, and mystics of many faiths that he has studied. For a traditionalist Orthodox reader, this is where the book may come up short. Not that Markides compromises the Faith to the point of heresy, but he reveals himself a very broad thinker, not surprising given that he hails from academia. A breath of syncretism wafts through his per- (Continued in the next column) SCRIPTURE CAN HELP SALVE YOUR GRIEF AN ASTUTE READER of the DOXA observed that all the hints for managing grief that we have suggested have come from secular sources. She then went on to say that there is no richer source of soothing words than the Bible. We had to admit that we had overlooked this treasure of wisdom in our search for gentle, helpful guidance needed during hard times. A grieving heart can assuredly find some solace by going to the first and greatest self-help book of all, the Bible. Taking this parishioner s hint, we thought it would be a good idea to compile some passages that might be helpful during difficult times. If you are grieving or your spirit is suffering, you might find the holy words below will help to salve your wounds. Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 22:24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. Psalm 30:5 Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble Psalm 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 71:20-21 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. (Continued from the previous column) sonal reflections. While this doesn t in any way invalidate Inner River, it is probably not the first of his books one should recommend to a non-orthodox friend. 7

10 PHILOPTOCHOS (by Eleni Kanakos, President) I HOPE THAT all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! It seems that this month we have many people to recognize and thank for their time and generous donations. Many thanks to: Irene Burton, Eleni Papastergiou, and Evdoxia Mitchell who took the time to cook and prepare meals for the Bailey s Cross Roads Shelter and to Daphne Papamichael, Zoe Anagnos, Gregory McKinney, and Kathy Cavallo who kindly served the food. The shelter was so grateful to have such a wonderful meal. Irene and Frank Burton for sponsoring the Seniors Thanksgiving Luncheon in loving memory of their dear friend Phyllis. It was a wonderful luncheon and was enjoyed by all. All of those who helped make 30 Christmas baskets for individuals confined to their homes. What a special treat that was. Those who contributed food to the Saint Katherine nameday celebration. Your contributions made for a wonderful reception. All of the ladies who purchased tickets for the Christmas Luncheon on December 2. It was a pleasure working with the Daughters of Penelope for this special event. We will be baking for the upcoming December 9 and December 16 Christmas bake sales. We are taking preorders for the Vasilopites and assorted sweets. Just a friendly reminder to send in your annual stewardship if you haven t already done so. More information is available in the next column. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful Christmas holiday, and a blessed, healthy, and Happy New Year! I am looking forward to a successful 2013 for the Ladies of Philoptohos! PHILOPTOCHOS CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE December 9 and December 16 (after liturgy) Please order your Vasilopita (New Year s Bread) by Sunday December 2 for pickup on December 30. To place your order, call: Elvira Garnett ( ) Andrea Ballard ( ) DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE (by Jane Moore, Pres.) HELLE S ANGEL TREE COAT DRIVE is a huge success! Thank you to all the Angels who picked an Angel from the Tree. Through your support, we will be able to outfit children in four local shelters with warm winter coats. We also collected 20 hooded sweatshirts to send to these shelters. We look forward to a wonderful time with our family and friends at the Christmas Luncheon, which we will cohost with Philoptochos, on December 2. We will collect hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens to go along with the children s coats mentioned above. In November, Helle Chapter celebrated Founders Day along with Hermione Chapter #11 and Arion Chapter #298. Along with Philoptochos, we offered a memorial service for all of our deceased sisters. May their memories be eternal! In closing out the month of November, Helle Chapter also made a donation in response to an emergency request to support the victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. And we are gearing up for 2013! Save the date: On Wednesday, January 16, we will cohost a Ric Edelman Financial Seminar with our Brothers from AHEPA #438 here at Saint Katherine. Please watch for flyers and advertisements in the Sunday church bulletins. On behalf of all the Sisters in Helle Chapter, please accept my best wishes for very blessed Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ALL WOMEN OF OUR PARISH are encouraged to join Philoptochos. Please keep in mind that $22 of your stewardship goes directly to our National and Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos. Any donation over that $22 amount is retained by our local Saint Katherine chapter. Please send your name, address, telephone number, and address, along with your check payable to Saint Katherine Philoptochos, to Mrs. Eleni Kanakos, Philoptochos President, 3149 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church, VA Please indicate if you are interested in assisting with the following activities: baking, missions, Thanksgiving Luncheon, Valentine s Luncheon, membership, and/or festival. Also indicate whether you would prefer to receive Philoptochos announcements by or phone. Thank you in advance for joining Philoptochos! (We will publish a new membership directory in January All stewards from the last two years will be listed.) 10

13 SAINT KATHERINE PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS DIRECTORY PLEASE CONSIDER LISTING your profession or business on our church website. Please fill out the order form, available at misc_forms, in its entirety. If you choose to list only your profession, please fill out that portion only. If you choose to list your business, please fill out that portion only. The cost per year is $25 for a professional listing and $100 for a business listing. The directory is online at By placing your order now, your business or profession will be on our list for free until January 1, Your yearly billing cycle will begin on January 1, You may choose to renew you0r listing automatically for the next year by checking the box on the order form. If you are paying by credit card, your card will be charged for the renewal on or about January 1, If you are paying with cash or by check, you will be contacted prior to your renewal date. Credit card payments may be made on the church website via PayPal. All listings will be reviewed and acceptance will be determined at the discretion of the Business Directory Committee. A printed version of the directory will be distributed annually with listing additions available quarterly. Below are samples of how your listing will appear on our website. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Professions: Engineering (Continued from page 1) The reality is that the birth of Christ is a real historical event. Maybe she would have to give a gift to a loved one just as God gave us a gift of love, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). God took on humanity so we can again take our rightful place with the Divine. I guess she does believe that we are a hybrid ape. (You get my drift!!!) The Christmas season is filled with love, joy, glad tidings, and gift giving and receiving. Celebrating the real meaning of Christmas is like coming home after you have been gone for a long time. How will you celebrate Christmas? Our parish, with donations from many of her organizations, will assemble hygiene and survival kits for the homeless on December 9 after the Christmas Pageant. On Christmas morning, some members of our GOYA, strong, will gather at 8:30am and go into the streets of DC to hand out lunches, gift cards, hats, gloves and socks to the homeless. Christmas is the season to give! Let us offer ourselves to God. I pray this Christmas season will become a true celebration. Let us put Christ back into Christmas. We can all start by coming to His House to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and receive our gifts from Him so that, in return, we can offer our gifts to each other and His Church. Merry Christmas! Christ is born! Glorify Him! CHRISTMAS WORD SEARCH George Pappas Electrical Engineer Businesses: Places of Worship Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church 3149 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church, VA Remember, you can go to about_us/misc_forms for more information and an order form. We look forward to receiving your listing! Christ Shepherds Manger Baby Child Angels Hay King Mary Sing Peace Prince Joseph Born Hallelujah Love Wisemen Swaddling Joy Savior 13

14 Update from Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Dr. John Demakis and Betty Slanta from our Mission and Outreach committee travelled to Irvine, California for the fall meetings of the OCMC board. Some of the important issues discussed were the new Strategic plan for the OCMC and the support of our overseas missionaries. The Saint Paul Greek Orthodox Church of Irvine was the host parish. Update from Tanzania. Maria Roeber, RN, our missionary in Tanzania sends the following update. Things are going well here. We have a medical team visiting the health center from Greece four physicians and one dentist. Having the specialists here has increased our numbers of patients by about 150%! People are eager to take advantage of specialized care. In the past couple of months I have also helped to host two other medical teams from the U.S., one from OCMC. They both went really well and we hope to welcome more within the coming months. The next goal for the health center is to open the x-ray department and to buy some specialized equipment for our lab. I am also getting ready to inquire with the Tanzanian nursing council about whether they have processed my application for a Tanzanian license, which I am excited about putting to good use soon! Please keep me in your prayers as always, I am very grateful for all of your support. Our Saint Katherine community has been supporting Maria for the last two years. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. Please pray for our Orthodox missionaries. We presently have 30 Orthodox missionaries in eight countries sent out by the OCMC. To see their pictures and read their stories, please go to OCMC.org and click on Missionaries. The OCMC website also has a beautiful prayer for missionaries. Please keep them in your prayers! OCMC Benefit Dinner. Our annual OCMC Benefit Dinner will take place on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at Saint Luke Orthodox Church in McLean. Pan-Orthodox Vespers will start at 5:00pm, hors d ourves at 6:00pm, and dinner at 7:00pm. Our main speaker will be Fr. John Parker who is the newly appointed Director of Missions and Evangelism for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Fr. Parker is a dynamic speaker and has been on several mission trips with the OCMC. More details will follow in the next issue of DOXA. Please save the date! Diaper collection for area food pantries. We will collect diapers on Sunday, December 9. Federal food stamps cannot be used to buy diapers, so this is a great help to mothers with infants. Collections will take place in the foyer of our Meletetis Charuhas Community Center. Please bring unopened packages of sizes newborn to 6. No pull ups, please. The diapers will be distributed to several area food pantries. MISSIONS AND OUTREACH Monument Walk for Missions. Join us for the 2013 Monument Walk for Missions that will take place during the Cherry Blossom Festival on the National Mall! All proceeds will go to support our overseas missionaries. Joseph and Carolyn Perez are leading this new program. More details will be available in future DOXA issues. Appalachia Outreach. Our next project with Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia will be in the spring of GOYA has already volunteered to participate. Our coordinators, Stacey Kazacos and Daphne Papamichael, will provide details in a future issue of DOXA. Stay tuned! HOMELESS SHELTER Survival and hygiene kits. During the winter months, the homeless shelter is in need of survival and hygiene kits for people who are turned away from the shelter due to lack of space. They will need of each kit from November to March: emergency kits (hand warmers, lip balm, gloves, socks, and skull cap) and hygiene kits (toothbrush, small toothpaste, washcloth, small deodorant, soap, lotion, and shampoo and conditioner). Each organization of our church has been asked to buy or raise money for one or two of the items. If you are interested in donating any items, We will assemble the kits on Sunday, December 9, after the Christmas Pageant. Please note the new date. Feeding the homeless. For several years now, Saint Katherine has been going to the Bailey s Crossroads Homeless Shelter once a month and serving dinner. The following organizations will cook and server dinner: GMissions and Outreach Committee on December 11, GOYA on January 15, and Daughters of Penelope on February 20. All groups are welcome to participate in this humanitarian endeavor. Please contact Dr. John Demakis if you would like to join us on December 11. Clothing and toiletries collections. We continue to collect new and used (clean) clothing and toiletries for the shelter. There is a collection bin in the foyer of our community center. With the winter approaching, they are in special need of warm winter clothing coats, scarves, gloves, hats, etc. Furniture donations. The shelter welcomes new and used furniture for people who are leaving the shelter for arranged housing. The shelter will pick up furniture within a 10-mile radius of the shelter. To arrange pick up or if you have any questions, call the Shelter Director, Thomas Nichols, on his cell phone at Please do not bring the furniture to the church. 14

15 STEWARDSHIP SHOWN BELOW is a list of families and individuals who made their pledge for the 2012 Saint Katherine Stewardship Program from October 1 through October 31. Thank you for responding to the needs of our church. Our 2012 and 2013 stewardship pledge forms are below. If you have not yet sent a pledge, please complete and return the appropriate form(s) to the office as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may pledge online today at Your church and community depend on your stewardship commitment. Any questions? Please contact Anna Vassilopoulos at or M/M Brad Bennink M/M Constantine Chelpon M/M George Giatas M/M Dimitrios Goranitis Mr Ioannis Goranitis M/M William Karabelas M/M Peter Kolovos M/M Ted Kosturos M/M Konstantinos Liatsos Mark & Mary Mallus Ms Antigoni Markou M/M John Masterson, Jr. Mr George Mastromichalis and Ms Andrea Kallas M/M David Mentis M/M Nickolas Panteleos M/M Dimitrios Paraskevopoulos M/M Matthew Paulson M/M Jim Saris Ms Alisha Scruggs Mr Tasos Sgardelis M/M Andrew Smith M/M Dennis Spirides Mr Thomas Toutsi M/M George Vroustouris M/M Constantine Xanthakys There s still time to become a 2012 Steward of Saint Katherine! In faith, prayer, and sacrifice, my family and I wish to share in the support and work of our Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Katherine. Out of our love and gratitude to God for all His blessings, we would like to pledge the amount of (Με πίστη, προσευχή και θυσία, η οικογένειά μου και εγώ επιθυμούμε να συμμετάσχομε στην υποστήριξη και υπηρεσία της Ελληνικής Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας Αγ. Αικατερίνης. Από αγάπη και ευγνωμοσύνη στον Θεό γιά τις ευλογίες Του, θα θέλαμε να υποσχεθούμε το ποσόν των): $ for the year (γιά το έτος) 2012 Date (Ημερομηνία) : Name (Όνομα): Address (Διεύθυνση): City, State, Zip (Πόλη, Νομός, Ταχ. Κώδικας): Telephone and address (Τηλέφωνο και Διεύθυνση ): 2013 STEWARDSHIP FORM Stewardship is based on the fact that all that we have and all that we are comes from God. We commit ourselves to stewardship as a way of thanking God for all His blessings returning to Him a portion of the time, talent, and treasure He has given us. Good stewardship of time means we share some the 168 hours in a week with God and caring for others. Good stewardship of talent means we identify our talents and use them to glorify God and help other people. Good stewardship of treasure means we give a portion of our income to the Church and other charities. During the year 2013, we ask that everyone consider fulfilling their stewardship on weekly basis. This will allow our church to better plan activities and expenses. I (my family) pledge(s) $ per week of financial stewardship to Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church. Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Telephone and address: 15

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